William Contreras got the kind of clean start every October clubhouse can use. After being benched in the final week of the regular season for not running out a play, Milwaukee’s All-Star catcher came up with the swing that put the Brewers ahead for good in a 3-2 Game 1 victory over the Padres on Saturday night at American Family Field.
Contreras gives Milwaukee the seventh-inning edge
The Brewers won 103 games despite finishing with the fewest home runs among National League clubs during the regular season. In the opener of the NL Division Series, they found enough power to survive a tense night.
- Jackson Chourio tied the game with a two-run homer in the third inning against Padres starter Robbie Ray.
- Contreras followed later with a solo blast in the seventh off left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon, putting Milwaukee in front for the first time.
- Morejon had surrendered only four homers across 86 regular-season innings before Contreras reached him.
Contreras did not need to race down the first-base line this time. The ball cleared the wall, and his home run became the deciding run in a 3-2 final.
Chourio adds another October marker
Chourio’s third-inning drive did more than erase an early Padres lead. At 22, he moved into first place by himself on Milwaukee’s postseason home run list with five.
It was a needed response on a night when Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski was not at his sharpest. The Milwaukee ace worked through four uneven innings, leaving the bullpen and defense to carry the late stages.
A roof-ball scare in the ninth
The final inning brought one more break for Milwaukee. With a runner aboard and one out, San Diego’s Ty France drove a ball deep toward left field. It struck the cables beneath the ballpark roof, making it impossible to know whether the ball had been headed fair or foul. There was, however, a real possibility that it had enough distance to leave the park.
Instead, the ball dropped into Chourio’s glove. Replay review upheld the out, and the Brewers recorded the final out one batter later to lock down the opener.
NLDS Game 2 ahead
Milwaukee will try to extend its series lead in Game 2 on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, 3 p.m. CT and 1 p.m. PT, with coverage on FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
